Machine for scutching flax



'(Ko Model.) I 3Shets-Sheet 2..

E. DONISTHORPE 8v T; BURROWS. MACHINE 'FOR SGUTGHING FLA X, HEMP, 650-No. 522,516.; v Patented-July 3,1894.

FIG 2 0 ML K- Wlr/vzssss.

(No Model.) a Sheets-Sheet s,

G. B. DONISTHORPE & T. BURROWS. MAGEINE FOR SGUTGHING FLAX, HEMP, &c.

No. 522,516. I Patented July 3, 1894.

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' UNI ED STATES P TENT OFFICE.

GEORGE EDMUND'DONISTHORPE AND TAYLOR BURROWS, OF, LoNDoN, ENGLAND.

MACHINE Foe SCUTCHING FLAX, HEMP, 88c.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 522,516, dated July 3,1894.

Application filed March 31, 1393. Serial No. 468,545. (No model.)Patented in England October 25, 1892, No. 19,168; in France March 1 193, N 228,359; in Belgium March 4, 1893, No. 103,670 {in India May 19,1893, No. 148, and in Canada August To all whom it may concern.-v

B911. known that we, GEORGE EDMUND DONISTHORPE, merchant, of 46 QueenVictoria Street, and TAYLoR'BURRoWs, engineer, of

have obtained patents in Great Britain, dated October 25,1892, No.19,168; in France, dated March 3, 1893, No. 228,359; in Belgium, datedMarch 4,1893, No. 103,670; in Canada, dated August 9, 1893, No. 43,879,and in India, dated May 19, 1893, No. 148,) of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to an improved machine or apparatus for scutchingflax, hemp, rhea, jute or other like fibrous stems or plants and isdesigned to produce a machine for beating, cleaning and softening suchfibrous straws, stems or plants (after same has been crushed'previouslyby passing through any suitable breaking and crushing machine) theobject of the present invention being" to produce a completefinishing-scutching action on such fiber or fibrous material.

Our machine consists essentially of an endless horizontally revolvingcarrying band (or bands) or carrying device of metal which has upwardlyprojecting teeth or serrations on the upper edge (or edges) thereof inwhich the fibrous stems, &c., are held and carried along to present thesame to the beating and scutching devices, which latter consist ofoppositely revolving boaters or scutching de-.

vices which are so arranged and mounted and operated in such a manner asto very thoroughly and efiectively scutch the fibrous stems as the sameare thus mechanically held and presented thereto.

We will now proceed to fully describe and set forth our'said presentinvention with reference tothe drawings hereuntoannexed.

, Figure lis a side elevation ofthe complete scutching machine. Fig. 2is a plan of the machine shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an end view of themachine looking in the opposite direction to the arrow m of Figs. 1 and2. Fig. 4 is a viewin cross section on line 'yy Fig.1 and 2-2 Fig. 2 onan enlarged scale. Similar letters of reference indicate correspondingparts throughout the views.

A is the support or frame. B B are horizontally disposed pulleysarranged and mounted as shown at each end of the frame A.

' O O are fast and loose pulleys by which the Whole machine is driven bymeans of an ordinary driving belt (not shown).

D is the main driving shaft actuated by the pulley'O or this maindriving axle D may be driven in any other suitable'manner.

E is a second shaft on the opposite side of the machine to the shaftDand each shaft D and E has respectively thereon a pulley and a drivingbelt F running round said pulleys by which means the shaft E is rotatedor said shaft E may be revolved in any other convenient manner.

Gis a worm shaft driven by a suitable train of wheels from the drivingshaft D.

, H H are worms on worm shaft G.

I I are worm wheels on the vertical axles J of horizontal pulleys B.

K is a bevel toothed wheel (cone wheel) on end of shaft D.

L is an intermediate bevel or cone toothed wheel gearing with the wheelK.

M is is a bevel cog wheel fixed on a shaft N and gearing with the wheelL so that said shaft N is then revolved in the opposite direction to theshaft D. A similar arrangement ofthree bevel toothed wheels K L M on theother side of the machine causes the shaft 0 to revolve in the oppositedirection to the shaft E. It willth'us be seen that the shafts D and Nrevolve in opposite directions as also the ing shafts D and N on oneside of the machine and similarly on the other side of the machine onthe oppositely revolving shafts E and O.

If desired the beating device may consist of any number of blades Pother than three as above described.

Q Q are radial arms fixed respectively to the separate shafts D. E. Nand O.

R is a metallic toothed blade orcoarse comb which is mounted on eachblade P on the opposite side thereof to that which strikes the fiber, asshown in Fig. 4-the blade P revolving in the direction of the arrowwthis I 5 pronged blade or coarse comb having a boneficial action on thefibrous material. This combing blade extends only a small part of thelength of the blade P, and may be omitted if desired.

S is the endless metallic band toothed or serrated on its upper edgesand two of such endless metal ribbons or bands S are shown in thedrawings (see Fig. 4) to form the carrier these bands being arranged andmounted so as to be carried around by the horizontally disposed pulleysB so that such endless carrier S is caused to travel around in ahorizontal plane.

If desired any othersuitable number of the bands S (other than two) maybe used.

T is agrooved plate forming an undersupport for said carrier S.

U is a depressing and locking plate or plates which intersect betweenthese bands S and 5 therebyloek and firmly hold the fibrous stems &c.,above the scutchers while being seutched (see Fig. 4:) to prevent thesame being dragged out of the carrier S. These locking plates hold thefiber firmly in the carrier comb while said fiber is being seutched.

V is a table or platform in the central part of the machine within theline of travel of the carrier S. This table V serves as a support forthe inner ends of the fiber, which 5 ends are not being seutched, andthe fiber traveling along the top of this table may be readily graspedby an operator after it has been carried from the feed table W to thefeed table Y.

W is the first feed table.

X is an incline or plow to lift the fibrous stems, 850., out of theteeth of the carrier S and acts also as astop to prevent any of the saidstems from being carried around the pulley B. I

Y is the second feed table.

Z is the second incline same as X and for the same purpose at the otherend of the ma chine.

The operation is as follows:-The crushed fibrous stems, straws or stocksare fed on to the machine in any suitable manner but for the sake ofexample we will describe the operation of the machine with threeattendants thereto and such attendants may be either boys or girls as noskilled labor is required in working this machine. The main drivingshaft D is set going so that the endless carrier S is steadily caused totravel around in the direction of the arrows at b Fig. 2. The firstoperator stands at or near the table W (Fig. 2) and lays the fibrousstems, the, c (1 across the carrier S (as shown in dotted lines in Fig.2) and the latter carries such stems under the depressing plate U sothat the said stems are caused to assume a zig-zag or undulating formand are thus locked and held securely between the teeth of the carrier Sand the looking plate U, while being carried along by the carrier S. Theoutermost ends 0 now reach the first beating device viz: on the shaft Nand thereby the said ends 0 are well beaten and seutched (as they arecarried along by the carrier S) until the metallicpronged plate orcoarse comb R is reached and thereupon the latter acts to straighten outthe fibers somewhat so as to smooth and parallelize same. The carrier S(continuing to travel) new carries the ends 0 clear of the heatingdevice on shaft N and immediately afterward these ends 0 reach thebeating device on shaft D (which revolves in the opposite direction toN) and consequently the depending ends a are now thoroughly beaten fromthe opposite direction and then are subjected to the action of thedevice It so that when the ends cmove clear of the blades P on the shaftD they are most thoroughly seutched and finished. The stems now comefrom under the locking plate U and are then automatically raised clearof the carrier S by the incline X, the unscntched ends (Z resting on thetable Vand the now seutched ends 0 hanging down overthe shaft D. Thesecond operator placed at or near the second table Y now reaches overand grasps the ends (I and draws the same toward Y until the fullyseutched part elies over the carrier S at the table Y and the unscutchedends d rest on the table Yand thus laid onto the carrier S which thencarries same on under the locking plate U on that side of the machineand the stems, &c., are thus held and the ends at are now presented tothe heat ing blades P (and devices R) on shaft E and then to the bladeson shaft 0 revolving in the opposite direction to E and thus the ends (Zare as thoroughly seutched, softened and finished as the ends a and thefibrous ma terial is now completely seutched and finished from end toend and then comes from under the locking device U near the second plowor incline Z which latter acts same as X to lift the fiber clear of thecarrier S and the finished seutched fiber is then lifted off the machine by a third operator placed close to Z.

It will be obvious that various modifications of the herein-describeddevices might be made which could be used without departing from thespirit of our invention.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patcut of the United States, is-

1. In a machine of the character described, the combination with anendless carrier com 522,516 I e r 3 sisting of a plurality of toothedcombs moving in an approximately horizontal direction, a rigid supportfor said combs, and a locking plate adapted to press the fibrousmaterial between the teeth of and hold it firmly down on said combs, ofa plurality of scutchers arranged to. act on the fibrous materialalter-- .nately from opposite sides, substantially as and for thepurposes described.

2. In a machine of the character described, the combination with anendless carrier consisting of a plurality of toothed combs moving in anapproximately horizontal direction, a rigid support for said combs, anda locking plate adapted to press the fibrous material between the teethof and hold it firmly down on said combs, of a plurality of combs andscutching devices and means for operating the same from oppositedirections with regard to said fibrous material, substantially as andfor the purposes described. 1

3. In a machine of the character described, the combination with twopulleys, of an endless carrier mounted thereon consisting of a pluralityof toothed combs moving in an approximately horizontal direction, arigid support for said combs, atable arranged between opposite sides ofthe said carrier, and a lockin g plate adapted to hold the fibrousmaterial down on said carrier combs; of a plurality of combing andscutching devices arranged at either side of said carrier whereby oneend of the fibrous material may be scutched and subsequently the otherend may be scutched, substantially as and for the purposes described.

4. In a machine of the character described,

7 the combination with two pulleys, of an endless carrier mountedthereon consisting of a plurality of toothed combs moving in anapproximately horizontal direction, a rigid support for said combs, atable arranged between opposite sides of the said carrier, and a lockingplate adapted to hold the fibrous material down on said carrier combs;of a plurality of combing and scutching devices arranged at either sideof said carrier and operating in scribed.

5. In a machine of the character described,

the combination with two pulleys, of an endless carrier mounted thereonconsisting of a plurality of toothed combs moving 1 n anapproximatelyohorizontal direction, a rigid support for said combs atable arranged between opposite sides of the said carrier, and a lookingplate adapted to hold the fibrous material down on said carrier combs;of aplurality of combing and scutching devices arranged at either sideof said carrier whereby one end of the fibrous material may be scutchedand subsequently the other end may be scutched, and plows for liftingsaid fibrous material from said carrier teeth at the end of eachscutching, substantially as and for the purposes described. 7

6. In a machine of the character descrlbed,

the combination with two pulleys, of an end- I less carrier mountedthereon consisting of a plurality of toothed combs moving 1 n anapproximately horizontal direction, a rigid support for said combs, atable arranged between opposite sides of the said carrier, and a lookingplate adapted to hold the fibrous material down on said carrier combs;of a plurality of combing and scutching devices arranged at either sideof said carrier and operating 1n pairs in opposite directions, wherebyone end of the fibrous material may be scutched and subsequentlythe'other end may be scutched, and plows for lifting said fibrousmaterlal from said carrier teeth at the end of each scutching,substantially as and for the purposes described.

GEORGE EDMUND nomsrnorrr. TAYLOR BURROWS.

Witnesses:

THOMAS LAKE, 17 Gracechurch Street, London.

J. OHALMERS WILSON.

